Showgirls (1995)

Nomi, a young drifter, arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven (as Jan Jansen)

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Nomi Malone
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Zack Carey
Gina Gershon	...	Cristal Connors
Glenn Plummer	...	James Smith
Robert Davi	...	Al Torres
Alan Rachins	...	Tony Moss
Gina Ravera	...	Molly Abrams
Lin Tucci	...	Henrietta 'Mama' Bazoom
Greg Travis	...	Phil Newkirk
Al Ruscio	...	Mr. Karlman
Patrick Bristow	...	Marty Jacobsen
William Shockley	...	Andrew Carver
Bobbie Phillips	...	Dee
Dewey Weber	...	Jeff
Rena Riffel	...	Penny / Hope

Storyline

Nomi Malone, a mysterious young girl with the ambition to dance embarks on a journey to Las Vegas to become a showgirl in a high-class hotel show. There she meets Molly, a seamstress at the Stardust Hotel and the two quickly become good friends. She gets a job as a lap dancer at the seedy Cheetah Club but after a chance meeting with Cristal Connors, the star of Goddess, the current show at the hotel where Molly works, Nomi manages to secure an audition for a spot on the chorus line.However she soon realises that fame comes with a price as her friendships, her morals and her soul are put to the test as she works her way up the ladder and eventually becomes the star of the show, stealing Cristal's part. She begins to wonder if all of her work was for nothing and if she can reclaim her life back before it is too late.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | lap dancing | female nudity | striptease | showgirl | 

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Taglines:

Sex, seduction and betrayal.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coristas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,112,627, 24 September 1995

Gross USA:

$20,350,754

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,350,754

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Chargeurs, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 131 min (NC-17)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally expected to be a huge box office hit like RoboCop (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992).

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Goofs

Toward the end of the movie, when Nomi visits Cristal in the hospital, she says goodbye and they kiss. In one take Cristal's lipstick is smeared, from another angle it is perfect, and the picture switches between the two takes a few times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff: Hop in, pard!
Nomi Malone: Where are you going?
Jeff: Vegas! Come on! This is your lucky day!

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Alternate Versions

The edited "director's R-rated version" created for Blockbuster Video and similar video store chains is 128 minutes long. To create the R-rated version, 61 seconds of footage were cut and 20 seconds were altered by using different camera angles. The R-rated version is as of 2016 is only available on VHS.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Wet and Wild (2011)

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Soundtracks

Let's Get Together
Written by John Pro, Octoviano Silva and Jim Archer
Performed by SF Spanish Fly
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc. / Upstairs Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

This wonderful film only gets better with each viewing.

Is it a satire of bad film making? Is it a knowing take on Showbiz sleaze ? Or was it a totally sincere project, and thus in Ed Wood territory for it's compleat terrible hilarity, as cliches pile upon cliches upon horrible acting, set amongst the gaudiest, most resplendently hideous set design in film history ? Some say it MUST be satire, as NO-ONE makes films this bad, this obviously bad, with this much money behind them, in such a garish, tacky way...and expects to be taken seriously. Except for the man responsible for "Starship Troopers", that is...

Whatever it is, this thing is genius, that's all I can say.

There are lots of reasons, but the one that most strikes me in the funny bone is it's depiction of strippers. I, for one, have had to endure far, far too many "Dancers" who take themselves utterly seriously, for sex and for other reasons, for this to be anything other than roll-on-the-floor funny. And that is only one small level of the humor contained herein. If this film is self-deprecating satire, and I suspect that it is, than that is enough right there to earn it a place in MY "Desert Isle Five." If not, than that makes it even better !

Just watch it with your own tongue firmly planted in cheek, and it starts to make sense...